1,357 MILES, AND A TRIP I’LL NEVER FORGET
Words and images by Jessica Brown, @bikes.and.balayage
Some trips are planned down to every little detail. This definitely wasn’t one of them!
Yosemite had been on my bucket list since 2020, and one day I asked three friends, Chris, Randy, and Luke, if they wanted to make it happen. Their answer? “Hell yeah.”
We signed everyone up for Club EAGLERIDER, booked our flights to San Francisco, reserved our bikes, and that was pretty much the extent of the plan!
We knew we wanted to see the redwoods and Yosemite. Everything else? We trusted it would unfold exactly the way it was supposed to!
Looking back… I wouldn’t changed a thing!
Day One: Let the Adventure Begin
We met at the San Francisco airport, grabbed an Uber to EAGLERIDER, picked up our bikes, and immediately that excitement hit. There is nothing quite like climbing onto a Harley in a place you’ve never explored before. Suddenly the possibilities feel endless!
One of the EAGLERIDER employees sent us to an awesome local taco spot, so of course that became our first stop. After that we swung by the Miller Built Cycles event to check out the bikes, support the local community, and officially kick off the adventure before finding a last-minute vacation rental in Centerville.
That became our theme for the trip. Ride first and figure it out as we go!
Day Two: The Giants
This was one of those riding days you wish you could bottle up forever!
The back roads leading to the Avenue of the Giants were absolutely incredible. Twisty roads, beautiful sweepers, almost no traffic, and scenery that just kept getting better around every corner.
Then we entered the redwoods.
WE KNEW WE WANTED TO SEE THE REDWOODS AND YOSEMITE. EVERYTHING ELSE? WE TRUSTED IT WOULD UNFOLD EXACTLY THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO!
Holy crap!!
I honestly felt like we had ridden into a scene in Jurassic World. The air instantly became cooler, the smell of pine filled my helmet, and these gigantic trees surrounded us in every direction. I joked that I was waiting for a dinosaur to walk out of the woods at any second!
Pictures don’t come close to doing this place justice you have to experience it yourself!
We parked the bikes, took our helmets off, and just stood there looking up. The size, the history, the energy…it honestly felt magical. It’s one of those places that makes you slow down, breathe a little deeper, and simply appreciate where you are!
I was overwhelmed with gratitude, not just because I was finally checking something off my bucket list, but because I was doing it with great friends and on two wheels.
Before leaving we drove through one of the famous drive-through trees, which somehow makes you appreciate just how unbelievably massive these trees really are.
Then we followed Highway 101, another amazing ride with beautiful scenery, before finding another last-minute vacation rental. Honestly, waiting until the end of each day to book our stays worked out great for us! We found some awesome places at discounted prices because hosts were trying to fill open nights.
Day Three: Onward to Yosemite
Not every day has to be packed with bucket-list moments to be memorable.
We swapped Randy’s bike for a Street Glide after a mechanical issue, pointed our bikes toward Yosemite, found a few scenic overlooks, enjoyed another great meal, and ended the night at a cozy vacation rental with a hot tub.
Simple days like this remind me that sometimes the ride itself is the destination.
Day Four: Yosemite
This was the day I’d been waiting years for!
We headed straight to Glacier Point before the crowds rolled in, and wow…I don’t think any picture could have prepared me for that view!
Standing there looking across Yosemite Valley, seeing Half Dome in the distance, the waterfalls, the granite cliffs, it completely took my breath away!
For a few minutes, none of us really said much. We just stood there soaking it all in!
Moments like that remind me how incredible this world really is. They make everyday worries seem so small and leave you feeling incredibly grateful just to be there.
We spent the rest of the day riding through Yosemite, stopping for photos, grabbing lunch, and taking in every mile before finding beautiful back roads back to our vacation rental.
It was everything I’d hoped it would be!
Day Five: One Last Epic Ride
Just when we thought the trip couldn’t get any better, California Route 49 proved us wrong.
WE LAUGHED UNTIL OUR FACES HURT. WE CROSSED BUCKET-LIST DESTINATIONS OFF THE MAP. WE DISCOVERED ROADS WE NEVER PLANNED TO RIDE AND MADE MEMORIES I’LL CARRY WITH ME FOREVER!
If you love motorcycles, put this road on your list.
Beautiful pavement, endless curves, incredible scenery…it was the perfect way to end an unforgettable adventure!
After returning our bikes to EAGLERIDER, Randy gave us a little tour of San Francisco before it was time to fly home!
Why This Trip Meant So Much
In five days we rode 1,357 miles.
We laughed until our faces hurt. We crossed bucket-list destinations off the map. We discovered roads we never planned to ride and made memories I’ll carry with me forever!
Looking back, I realize this trip wasn’t just about Yosemite or the redwoods. It was about trusting the adventure!
We had flights booked, motorcycles waiting, and a couple places we wanted to see. Everything else happened naturally! The roads we stumbled onto ended up being some of the best riding of the trip. The last-minute vacation rentals turned out to be perfect. The conversations, the unexpected stops, the moments standing beneath the redwoods or looking out across Yosemite…none of those could have been planned!
THIS TRIP REMINDED ME THAT SOME OF LIFE’S GREATEST ADVENTURES BEGIN WHEN YOU STOP TRYING TO CONTROL EVERY DETAIL AND JUST TRUST THE ROAD.
Sometimes we spend so much time waiting for the perfect opportunity that we forget to simply say YES.
This trip reminded me that some of life’s greatest adventures begin when you stop trying to control every detail and just trust the road.
Motorcycles have taken me to some incredible places, but more importantly, they’ve taught me to embrace the journey, trust the process, and stay open to whatever comes next.
This trip was a perfect reminder of exactly why I ride!
REDWOODS TO YOSEMITE
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